Pinguipes brasilianus explained

Pinguipes brasilianus, commonly known as the Brazilian sandperch, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Pinguipedidae.[1] It is found in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean off the coasts of Brazil and Argentina.[2] It was first described in 1829 by the French naturalist Georges Cuvier.[1]

Description

Charles Darwin records the crew catching this fish with hook and line off the coast of northern Patagonia, at a time when the Beagle was anchored during bad weather. He described it as being chestnut brown above, banded transversely with black on the head, flanks and fins. The lower lip was pink and the underside of the fish was white. The eyes had yellow irises and black pupils.[3] [4]

Distribution and habitat

Pinguipes brasilianus occurs in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. Its range extends from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil southwards to Golfo Nuevo in Argentina. It has been reported twice in the central Mediterranean Sea.[5] It is a demersal fish and its depth range is between 10and.[6]

Reproduction

Breeding takes place over an extended period of spring and summer, peaking between October and February. Females reach 50% maturity at an average total length of about 150NaN0 and have a fecundity ranging from 2 to 44 oocytes per gram for medium size fish. The gonadosomatic index for males ranges between 0.11% and 0.75%. Both these figures are low and necessitates the pair being in close proximity when spawning takes place. The female releases several batches of eggs during the breeding season in a cycle involving courtship and pair bonding, the egg release sometimes taking place in a crevice in the reef.[7]

Notes and References

  1. Bailley . Nicolas . 2015 . Pinguipes brasilianus Cuvier, 1829 . 236485 . 2 July 2018.
  2. Web site: Pinguipes brasilianus Cuvier, 1829 . FishBase . 2 July 2018.
  3. Book: Pauly . Daniel . Darwin's Fishes: An Encyclopedia of Ichthyology, Ecology, and Evolution . 2007. Cambridge University Press . 978-1-139-45181-9 . 179.
  4. Web site: When Cooked was Good Eating . Viens . Rob . 26 August 2012 . The Beagle Project . 28 July 2018.
  5. Atlas of Exotic Fishes in the Mediterranean Sea (Pinguipes brasilianus). 2nd Edition. 2021. 366p. CIESM Publishers, Paris, Monaco.https://ciesm.org/atlas/fishes_2nd_edition/Pinguipes_brasilianus.pdf
  6. Web site: Pinguipes brasilianus Cuvier, 1829 . EoL . 8 July 2018.
  7. Villanueva-Gomila . Gabriela L. . Macchi . Gustavo J. . Ehrlich . Martín D. . Irigoyen . Alejo J. . Venerus . Leonardo A. . amp . The reproductive biology of Pinguipes brasilianus Cuvier, 1829 (Osteichthyes: Pinguipedidae) in temperate rocky reefs of Argentina . Neotropical Ichthyology . December 2015 . 13 . 4 . 733–744 . 10.1590/1982-0224-20150053 . free . 11336/41309 . free .